


Haunted

by themadlurker



Series: camelot_fleet commentfics [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Community: camelot_fleet, Ficlet, Future Fic, Implied Relationships, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-06
Updated: 2009-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28127961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themadlurker/pseuds/themadlurker
Summary: One guest, among so many — there's no reason this one should keep drawing her eye.
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen/Nimueh/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: camelot_fleet commentfics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060613





	Haunted

Arthur keeps looking across the hall, staring at the same corner of the room as if searching for something in the crowd. Beside him, Gwen tries to follow the turn of his head to see what has drawn his attention so inexorably.

At first, she sees nothing remarkable, but then her gaze comes to rest on—someone. A complete stranger, in fact, so why does the woman carry with her such a strong sense of familiarity? Gwen tries to run through her recollection of the scores of visiting nobles she has had to meet over the last few weeks, but comes up with nothing. She turns back to her newly wed husband and tries to put the stranger from her mind. It's difficult, though, when his eyes keeps straying into the middle distance and when Gwen fancies she can feel a second gaze, directed across the room at both of them.

Gwen sits for maddening hours at the high table, as their guests grow increasingly loud and good-humoured and her husband forces himself to relax a little into joviality. Arthur knows perfectly well how few of his new subjects truly mourn the passing of their former king, and so he does his best to share in the joyful optimism of the court and keeps his grief for quieter moments.

The royal couple remains in state until all but the most determined revellers have retired and only then, as they depart without ceremony, does Gwen turn to look back at where the stranger had stood—

—still stands. Gwen catches, impossibly, a flash of blue eyes and then the woman is gone.

Back in her chambers, Gwen shivers and a servant runs to fetch more wood for the fire.

When Arthur knocks at the door, she startles and then wonders why, because of _course_ she was expecting him. Who else would have come to the queen's chambers in the hours between night and morning?

The next evening she finds herself searching the hall in the same way Arthur had done, always fancying she sees the woman from the corner of her eye, but unable to find her. Her gaze meets Arthur's as they both turn away from their futile search and both seem to shiver at the same time—but say nothing.


End file.
